San Diego-based White Labs is decoding beer DNA

This article was taken from the November 2013 issue of Wired
magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before
they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional
content bysubscribing
online.

At White Labs in San
Diego, technicians work to reanimate cryogenically frozen
single-celled organisms. Their quest: to unravel the genetics
behind the more than 500 flavour and aroma compounds found in
beers.

Yeast
has been brewed for millennia but scientists have only now
begun to learn how genetics affects the resulting beverage.
White Labs and biotech firm Illumina have sequenced 96
strains, looking for clues as to why, say, some give saison ale
fruity notes whereas others lend the same recipe a clove aroma.

Still don't think yeasts make a difference? White Labs has a
tasting room to convince unbelievers. "You can tell people,'That's
the same beer,'" says founder Chris White. "You see the look on
their faces, like, 'Wow, you must have added some spice or herbs or
something in this beer.' But that's all from yeast."

The next round of sequencing includes the yeast Brettanomyces,
known for nefarious aromas (think bandages or sweat) that can be
either contaminants or the masters of funk in Belgian lambics. See
you at the bar.